After the wonderful doom/death releases of "Serenades" and "The Silent Enigma" Anathema reach 1996 with their third full-length release, "Eternity", with Vincent remaining in the position of the singer offering to the band various ways of expression. With this release this unique UK band evokes a bitter taste of "eternity", the beauty of forever yet the bitterness of reality and simple questions/thoughts like "do you think we are forever?" reminding of how limited is our time on earth. Anathema drink from the wine of despair, sorrow, painful beauty, bitterness and cherish with us deep emotions through poetic and utterly esoteric lyrics, through melodies of their souls cutting deep in your heart with rose-leafs leaving behind bleeding wounds and aching scars.

The doom/death luxury of the past is gone (only a few memories of those days have remained) and Pink Floydish influences are taking control, yet always seen through an Anathema prism. The emotions that Anathema's music evokes remain fragile, inner, strong, pure. Vincent's utterly expressive voice, trembling at times, almost crying at others, gives meaning to every single word, to every single sigh, to every single cry… Anathema pour their souls into "eternity" leaving their inner world overrun their compositions.

The emotional "Sentient" opens the gates of "Eternity" with a beautiful-sounding piano piece and a melancholic guitar solo to reach a hymn to pure love and melancholy, a composition that has scarred me deep inside, "Angelica". The whole guitar work on this composition is deeply inspired; every sound a tear, every tear a memory… Vincent's vocals are utterly emotional, interpreting in a descriptive way the esoteric lyrics caressing the listener's heart with velvet rose-leafs as tears make their shy appearance. "The Beloved" follows, another emotionally charged composition, opening in a heavier way and turning as the song goes on to softer melancholic soundscapes with Vincent singing in a heart-rending way evoking despair.

"Eternity Part I" continues the album, a thoughtful composition based on soft guitar chords, psychedelic rock influenced keyboard melodies and Patterson's imposing bass lines as Vincent interprets wonderfully the poetic, filled with a sweet melancholy, lyrics. "Eternity Part II" follows, a serene instrumental song that slowly leads to a wonderful cover on Harper/Gilmour's "Hope", keeping the original feeling of the song but making it sound heavier and absolutely Anathema, pacing with the whole atmosphere of the album. "Suicide Veil" follows and a tranquil atmosphere surrounds the room with Vincent almost reciting the desperate poetic lyrics, a serene atmosphere that shatters by an emotional outburst with Vincent's intense interpretation ending the song.

The album flows peacefully with "Radiance" with intense keyboard melodies escalating the emotional charge of the song leading to an ecstatic guitar solo accompanying Vincent's trembling voice. The devout keyboard melodies along with the beautiful-sounding guitar chords and bass lines open the following "Far Away", a dreamy song with the guitars being an extension of Vincent's voice as he sings "far away" in a heart-rending way. "Eternity Part III", the third and last part of the "Eternity" trilogy, follows, opening in a tranquil way and turning into an emotional outburst expressing the limited "eternity" of everyone but always keeping inside an "undying affection for life". The album continues with the experimental sound of "Cries On the Wind", filled with psychedelic rock influences expressed in a heavier way, to reach the end with "Ascension", an instrumental composition filled with a hopeful feeling after having experienced a bitter taste of "eternity", something that cannot be achieved in real life, but in a world where only emotions have power…

Let Anathema take you "far away", into "eternity"… "If the truth hurts prepare for pain, do you think we are for ever?"

I also find this album Extremely overlooked, even by myself... Probably because I found the other ones more interesting. But it's hard to buy a particular album when you already know 20 more that you want at that moment.

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Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29Like you could kiss my ass

I also find this album Extremely overlooked, even by myself... Probably because I found the other ones more interesting. But it's hard to buy a particular album when you already know 20 more that you want at that moment.

Well, it's an easy choice for me. I have all Anathema original albums, but that's because I'm a fan. If you just like some albums and aren't really a fan, I can understand why you wouldn't buy it.

Well, it's an easy choice for me. I have all Anathema original albums, but that's because I'm a fan. If you just like some albums and aren't really a fan, I can understand why you wouldn't buy it.

I don't remember saying that I'm not a fan. I pretty much like every album [of course that some of those are better than the others...]
The problem was that I don't have the money to buy a lot of albums in a row... So I have to choose carefully which ones are the first ones on the list.

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Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29Like you could kiss my ass

Well, it's an easy choice for me. I have all Anathema original albums, but that's because I'm a fan. If you just like some albums and aren't really a fan, I can understand why you wouldn't buy it.

I don't remember saying that I'm not a fan. I pretty much like every album [of course that some of those are better than the others...]
The problem was that I don't have the money to buy a lot of albums in a row... So I have to choose carefully which ones are the first ones on the list.

I slso want several albums, I usually chose the bands I really love first. There are great albums out there that I might want to buy but I have a list and I buy them according to my money and the level of importance for me.

I liked ''The Silent Enigma'' a little, but overall Im happy that they decided to abandom the death/doom. This album is more a transition to the Anathema that I prefer (the doom/rock era) so its ok.

''Hope'' is a beautiful song btw.

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----member of the true crusade against old school heavy metal, early 80s thrash, NWOBHM, traditional doom, first and second wave black metal, old school death metal, US power metal, 70s prog rock and atmospheric doomsludgestoner. o/